Graduation Speech: Run Forrest Run !

I haven’t stopped running since May of 2013, and truth be told, I’m getting kind of tired of it. Not of the sweat, the fact that my legs are constantly sore, the nuisance of cycling all of my workout clothes through the wash every week, or even the fact that I still look like the skinniest guy in the gym. No, I’m getting tired of all the other baggage that’s come with it. It’s the snide comments about the short-shorts and the never ending “Run Forrest run!” jeer on a daily basis that I’ve had enough of. And quite frankly, I can only roll my eyes so many times. First and foremost, the irony of this whole topic is almost too much to bear. In an effort to get me to fall into a superficial norm of laziness, others have put so much analyzing of “symbolism” and scrupulous thought into this topic. “Why on Earth do you run so much?” It seems that everyone has concluded one thing: running must be some representation, must carry some implications, or must have some definition of me that’s completely unfathomable.
No one can figure out why the skinny kid in the 3” shorts wakes up at 6 am to hit some laps on the track. It appears as if I’m the only one that sees it’s just running. Not a personal statement, not a lame attempt at individuality, just running.
Though I had not meant for it, running has become representative of me, whether I like it or not. It’s my individualism, and in a time when everyone strives to be unique, it’s also my common link to normalcy. So why is is a big deal? Well, I have found that individualism is nearly always encouraged, but only as long as it’s done with compliant undertones. The fine line between sheer brilliance and utter insanity is in fact the one thing that makes both impossible: a link to the social ordinary. It’s quite the paradox, in which I have yet to find a middle ground. But at this time, everyone seems to be looking for